Oblivion
by Kairi Keyblade
Summary: Ever since Kat came to the village, things have changed. Not only has Kat got everyone's attention, but she's managed to get under Sasuke's skin. Kakashi's also taken special notice of the new kid - what's up with that?
1. Chapter One

Kat looked out the open window cautiously, left to right. Nobody. She took the opportunity and crept out of it silently, as quiet as a mouse. She was quite high up, and climbed up to the very top of the roof, the moonlight from above her only light. She could see most of the village from the roof of her mentor's house, and looked for the nearest roof.

Without another word, she jumped from her sensei's roof and onto the nearest one, and jumped from roof to roof until she neared the gate to the village. She had managed to get all that way without so much as a creak. She squatted and kneeled, placing her hands on the ice-cold roof. Now was the time to put her skills to good use.

There was a cherry blossom tree to her left, and if she was to escape successfully, she'd have to use her agility to jump onto one of its higher limbs so she could jump from that tree to the village gate's walls and onto another one that was in the forest surrounding the village.

She looked at the cherry blossom determinedly before gracefully leaping - from all fours - onto it, almost falling off the limb as she landed on it. She clawed back onto it and let out a breath of relief. Now came the real challenge. She inhaled and crouched down extremely low onto the branch's limb, before jumping and catapulting herself straight onto the village walls. She'd made it. She spotted a tree to her right, and very quickly soared to it, landing on her hands and feet.

She stealthily made her way from the limb to the trunk of the tree - again, on all fours - just like a cat, and put a hand against the sturdy tree trunk for a moment.

_Maybe that's why they call me Kat_, she thought jokingly, looking down at the ground from her perch.

To test out her cat like prowess, she gulped and climbed down the tree head first, clutching the bark with a death grip. She looked a little shocked when she made it down without a mistake, and stood up.

She gave the village one last, sad look before she walked into the forest, now feeling truly free. _I'm sorry, Kakashi_, she thought, delving further into the multitude of trees, _At least you won't miss me…_

She heard a small cough and turned around, her face suddenly drained of all colour.

Sure enough, Kakashi leant casually against a tree trunk, the usual book in hand and a disappointed look on his face.

The blonde blinked at him blankly. "I should have known," she muttered, unable to look him in the eye.

"Yeah, you should have. Because now I'm going to have to watch you twenty-four seven, now I know that I can't trust you." said Kakashi resentfully, his stony look drilling into Kat. She looked a little ashamed, but she wasn't giving in without speaking her mind. "I don't want to be here, Sensei," she said bitterly, and Kakashi's eyes widened at the use of 'Sensei' instead of his name.

"So it's Sensei now?"

"You were the one who said that no one was supposed to know our relation. I'm only doing as I was told."

"Hmph. I guess I should just call you 'student'. But I won't, because I don't cut as low as you do, and because I respect my 'relations', unlike some girls around here that I know." he countered, glaring at her.

He wasn't upset - no, not at all. He remembered when he was her age, obviously not as rebellious but she had the same feistiness as he did and the same spice in her personality. They may not have looked alike, but Kakashi liked to think of her as a more carefree, happier version of himself.

"Kakashi…"

"I'm very disappointed in you, Kat. This was meant to be a new start for you, but here you go again, running away as usual. I expected more from you."

"I wasn't running away! I was doing what I needed to-"

"No, you were doing what you _wanted _to do. Again, same old Kat."

Kat bit her lip. "Look, I'm sorry. I just don't think this is the right place for me at the moment."

"Oh, really? And where _is_ the right place, Kat? You haven't even given this village a chance." said Kakashi, putting his hand to his temple and rubbing it. He sighed.

Kat sighed too. "Fine, Kakashi. I'll try. But I won't stay if I don't want to, okay?" she offered, and she looked at him tiredly. "I knew you'd change your mind," said Kakashi, and he smiled at her. Kat couldn't help but smile back, now feeling at least a _little _ more secure.

"But that doesn't mean you escape punishment, miss," said Kakashi in a sing-song voice, still grinning. Katra facepalmed. "You're going to spend a day with my team! And you're actually going to socialize."

"No! No, no, no, no!" she cried, her lip wobbling. "Sorry Kat," smiled Kakashi, "But you've got to learn your lesson! Now let's go home. It's rather late."

Katra looked at the ground, but immediately looked up again when she felt Kakashi take her hand in his, and she looked up at him. "Come on. We gotta have energy for tomorrow!" chirped Kakashi, and before the young girl had anything to say about it, he picked her up and teleported away, a puff of smoke the only evidence of their appearance.

_____________________________________________________________________

"Where is he?" groaned Sakura tiredly, leaning back on the bridge's rails in fatigue. "I don't know, but I know that if he isn't here soon, I'm gonna get him," muttered Naruto, rubbing a little sleep out of his eyes. Sasuke looked up at the sky boredly, and tried not to complain as well. He sighed.

"Morning everyone!" said a cheerful voice, and Sakura and Naruto looked up at the bridge's arc in disgust. Before, that is, they took a double glance.

As usual, Kakashi was squatting on the same red arc…. But there was an unfamiliar, blonde teenager beside him. "You see, I got lost on my way because I saw a puppy -" said Kakashi, revealing today's utterly lame excuse. But instead of the usual cries of "liar!"…

"Who's she?" said Sakura immediately, her green eyes brightening. "Oh, this one?" said Kakashi, looking back at the girl. "This here is Kat. She'll be joining us for today!"

Sakura studied the girl closely, and could instantly tell that she wasn't from this village. The girl had long, blonde hair that was tied back in extremely long, spiky pigtails… Her right sleeve was white and cottony, and had two buckles on it… her left was just one, white, cut sleeve… mini-shorts… and black legwarmers that covered her black ninja shoes. Two belts around her waist, and one slotted through her shorts… and one around her ankle… strange…

The blonde waved and smiled a little, jumping down to the bridge. "Hi, I'm Sakura. Nice to meet you," said Sakura warmly, offering her hand to the new girl. She took it, and smiled. "Awesome," said Kat, shaking her hand, "I'm Kat. Nice to meet you too, Sakura-chan."

Before Sakura could say a word more, a blonde male pushed in front of her and looked at Kat with wide blue eyes. _Wow… she's pretty…_ he thought airily, not realizing that he was staring at her. "Hi," she murmured, now a little creeped out. The sound of her voice brought Naruto back to reality and he gave her a toothy grin. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" he said proudly, beaming at her, "And I'm going to be the next Hokage!"

Kat smiled, and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Naruto-kun." she said pleasantly, smiling back at him.

Sasuke pushed himself off the bridge's rails and stepped forward silently, looking Kat in the eyes. "Sasuke Uchiha," he said calmly, and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you," she said a little coldly, and Sasuke noticed this. _What, no "Sasuke-kun'?"_ he thought to himself, giving her a determined smile. She shot one right back at him, but managed to maintain her polite appearance.

"Now that we all know each other," said Kakashi, a little confused by the way Kat had spoken to Sasuke, "We have a mission to do." He pulled out a scroll and read through it carefully, and shrugged. "Okay, guys, I guess I was wrong. No mission." said Kakashi, a little surprised.

"Yay!" cheered Naruto, and he ran off before he could be stopped. Sasuke shrugged. "Kakashi, can I go train now?" asked Kat, looking at Kakashi innocently. He nodded and watched her as she walked off calmly, he and the remainder of his team looking at her as she left.

"Who is she?" asked Sasuke sharply, looking up at his sensei. "A good friend of mine. You should go find out how "friendly" she is, especially while training… go on, I want to know how she'll stand up against you, Uchiha…" said Kakashi suddenly, and looked at Sasuke expectantly. "But I know nothing about her," said Sasuke coolly, hinting for some more information.

"Then go discover her for yourself," said Kakashi simply, pulling a book from his pocket and walking away wordlessly.

Sasuke shrugged and went off to find the mysterious girl. "I guess it couldn't hurt," he said, Sakura right behind him. He looked around the village for a while before he ventured out into the forest. They walked through it for a while before finding a large clearing. Sasuke smirked. The blonde with the pig-tails was sitting in a tree, her eyes closed and the wind caressing her soft skin.

"Kat!" called Sasuke, walking up to the tree, alerting the resting female. "Uchiha… what can I do for you?" she asked, yawning. She stood up and jumped straight down, landing on all fours before standing up.

Sasuke looked surprised.

"Yes?"

"Kakashi thought it might be a good idea if we had a little brawl," he said calmly, raising an eyebrow at Kat, who didn't even bother to look straight at him as she replied. "Sorry, Uchiha," she answered, "There's a few things I need to do before I brawl with anyone. My apologies."

Sasuke shrugged and walked away, leaving Sakura with the blonde. "Hello, Sakura-chan," said Kat amiably, smiling. Sakura smiled back. "So, Kat…"

There was a small silence.

"So, Sakura… what are your plans for today?" asked Kat, her bright eyes twinkling.

"I actually don't have any plans, I thought we were training," said Sakura, and Kat nodded.

"Does Kakashi-kun make you train hard?" asked Kat, the words "Kakashi-kun" striking curiosity in Sakura. "Yeah, he's strict, but I guess it's for out benefit," said Sakura brightly, and Kat giggled.

"I've never heard anyone speak happily about training with him," she laughed, and Sakura blushed.

"Hey, Sakura! Who's this?" asked a male voice, walking up from behind the pink-haired girl and tapping her on the shoulder.

Sakura froze for a second, and turned around. "Oh, Lee. It's you," she said, letting out a sigh of relief. "This is Kat."

Lee smiled. "Nice to meet you, Kat. I'm Rock Lee," greeted Lee, giving her a small wave. Kat nodded, and smiled. _Wow,_ thought Sakura, _That's totally different to my first reaction to Lee…_

Lee blinked. "Hey, you don't have a forehead protector! You're not a ninja?" he asked Kat curiously, and Kat facepalmed.

"That's right, I was supposed to get it off him this morning… Stupid 'Kashi, always forgetting things… I'll be back later, okay guys?" she said, before crouching down to the ground and disappearing before their very eyes.

"She's strange," said Lee, "She doesn't have a forehead protector, which usually means you're not a ninja, yet she can just disappear like that? And she called Sensei 'Kashi'…"

Sakura shrugged. "We were introduced to her by Kakashi. If she knows him, then I'm guessing she's no idiot," she said interestedly, before she turned away, leaving the bushy browed ninja wondering what the hell was going on.

****

"Kakashi… thank you for coming. Please, sit," said the Fifth Hokage calmly, her eyes following the ninja's movements as he sat less than gracefully into his seat.

"What is it, ma'am?" asked Kakashi in his usually uninterested voice, blinking lazily at his superior. He had been called to see the Hokage less than a minute ago, and from what Kakashi knew, it probably wasn't really important.

"It's about Kat," said Kakashi's leader bluntly, and Kakashi's eyes widened a little. Maybe this was important after all.

"What about her? Has she done something wrong?" said Kakashi tensely, and memories of a younger, more childish Kat streamed into his mind as he said these words.

"No," said the elder, blinking boredly, "She's been good as far as I know. This is about her placement."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

"For her best interests, I am forbidding you to have her accompany your team, and I am also reviewing her placement at your home," said the Hokage, and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Kakashi as she saw the ninja's reaction.

"What?! Why?" cried the Copy Ninja, looking thoroughly bewildered and a little bit angry.

"Firstly, I do not want her in your team because I know what you're like. You will correct her on every mistake, and tell her otherwise when she tries to do something her own way. I don't know her strengths or abilities, but you do. I am placing her with someone else who can monitor her and watch her grow on her own without interference," said the elder simply, and she sighed.

Kakashi nodded. He knew that if she was in his team, he probably would do that, just as his leader had said. But -

"Why can't she live with me?" he said as calmly as he could, and he clenched his fists to keep himself from lashing out in outrage.

"I said I am reviewing that. The others have said that maybe, for the same reasons as her training placement, she should be living with someone else who can also help her grow into her own being. That said, I know you haven't seen her for a long time, which is why I haven't decided yet. I will see how she goes living with you for the next week. If it's all okay, she can stay. If not… she goes."

Kakashi clenched his teeth together, and nodded in the most controlled way he could. "Thank you…miss…" he said in a forced way, taking in a deep breath. "But who's team will she accompany?"

"Team Eight."

"You mean Kiba's team?" said Kakashi in alarm, his eyes brightening. This wasn't going to be good…

"Why not? Is there a problem with being in Kiba's team?"

Kakashi sighed. "No…" he mumbled, looking away from the powerful woman opposite him.

"Good. That said, I think we should find Shino, Hinata and Kiba… I'd say they would like to meet their new 'team mate'…"

"Kiba…"

****

_Stupid dog,_ thought Kiba in frustration, his nose to the ground as he followed the scent of his hound, tracking him. _If I ever catch that beast alive, I'll…_

"Woof! Woof, woof!"

"_Woof woof?"_

Kiba shot up in alarm. He'd heard two dogs barking… one was definitely Akamaru…

He focused his Chakra to his ears and listened closely, and almost lost focus as he listened to the now translated barking noises.

_Are you the one who rescued me the other night?_

Kiba raised an eyebrow. That voice was female, so it definitely wasn't Akamaru.

_**Yes. I was sent to find you from that silver-haired guy. I didn't know you could speak canine!**_

_It's something I was taught when I was a child. By the way, thank you for saving me. I would have died if you weren't so brave. I brought something for you, to show you my appreciation._

Hidden from behind some bushes, Kiba silently moved aside a few branches to get a view of the conversation between his dog and the mysterious female. He frowned and snarled as he saw the girl - and it wasn't someone he had ever seen before in his life.

He watched carefully as she handed his dog a treat, and had the sudden urge to pounce out and rip this girl to pieces, whoever she was.

_**Thanks! What did you say your name was?**_

_Call me Kat!_

That was all they had time to say, because Kiba succumbed to his urges and pounced out from the bushes and onto the intruder, his fangs bared and his hands pressed on her shoulders, pinning her down.

"What the-?!" she yelped, looking up at the hooded face that loomed over her own.

"Who are you and what are you doing with Akamaru?!" roared Kiba, and he went to slash at the girl - but he stopped. His snapping jaws stopped. He decreased the weight he was pushing down on her. His eyes became curious. He leant down and sniffed her face, and instantly backed off.

She looked at him uncertainly.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I was just thanking him for saving me the other day. If it wasn't for him… I'd be dead."

"You're… pretty…" said Kiba mindlessly, and immediately shook his head after saying those words. "I mean, um… it's okay. I was… you see… I thought… uh…"

The girl blinked innocently at him, her cerulean eyes twinkling at him inquisitively. "Uh… anyway… You can speak Canine?" asked Kiba, standing up and offering a hand to the tackled lady. She took it, and stood up.

She murmured a few inaudible words, and patted Akamaru on the head before walking away.

Kiba looked down at his dog, raising an eyebrow.

_**I didn't do it! It wasn't me!**_

_**_____________________________________________________________**_

Hinata sighed as she plopped herself down on the ground, blowing a wisp of hair from her face. She was bored - for some reason, her team's missions had been called off, and seeing as she had planned to do her task, she hadn't thought of a backup plan. There was nothing to do - she couldn't find anyone, and she couldn't be bothered looking anymore.

She leant her back against the oak tree and rubbed her face, feeling rather jaded. "Hey, Hinata!"

The shy female looked up - and almost died.

Naruto stood in front of her with one of his trademark smiles, offering a hand to help her up. She took it with a timid look on her face, and looked at the ground. "Hello, Naruto…"

"Why are you here all alone? I thought you had a mission today."

"Our mission was cancelled today..."

"What?! Our mission was cancelled too!"

"That's weird…"

"Hey, Hinata, Naruto!"

The two turned around, surprised.

"Oh, hi, Shino," said Hinata, smiling.

"Hinata, we've gotta go see the Hokage. Apparently it's important."

"Is that why our missions were cancelled today?"

"Perhaps."

Hinata turned to Naruto, and blushed. "I'll be back as soon as I can," she promised, waving as she was dragged off by a rather hurried Shino.

_____________________________________________________________________

"Kiba, Hinata, Shino - meet Kat, your new team-mate."

The three teens stared in shock at the new face, Kiba looking the most stunned out of all of them. _She's that girl from before,_ he realised, his dark brown eyes meeting her pretty cerulean ones.

"Kat will be training with you from now on, and will be going on all missions with you."

"Are you serious?!" cried Kiba, his companions raising an eyebrow at him.

The Hokage gave him the same gesture. "Is there something wrong, Kiba?"

"No, ma'am…"

"Good. By the way, your leader is sick. She'll be replaced by Iruka."

The three nodded, still looking a bit dazed.

"Well, go on, out with you all. I've got too much paperwork to do. Go on, get some fresh air."

Hinata walked up to Kat timidly. "Hello, Kat-san. I'm Hinata."

Kat nodded. "Nice to meet you, Hinata-chan." Hinata smiled and nodded, taking her hand and leading her over to her new team. "This is Shino," explained Hinata, pointing to the sunglass-clad male, "And this is Kiba."

"Kiba, huh?"

Kiba's eyes narrowed. "Kat, right?"

Kat's eyes gleamed with competitive spirit. "Yeah, that's right."

Shino raised an eyebrow, and gave a slight wave before leaving the room.

Hinata looked at Kiba and Kat, who were both looking at each other peculiarly. She shrugged and walked off, leaving the two to stare.

"You're that girl from before," observed Kiba, raising an eyebrow.

"How very perceptive of you, Ki…"

"Kiba."

"Right. Kiba."

They walked out of the room together, unable to talk to each other.

"So… how come you're in our team?" asked Kiba finally, exiting the building with the blonde.

"No idea. I thought I was in 'Kashi's team, but I guess not. I'm surprised. I thought there was only meant to be one girl in every team."

"That's what I thought. So… what kind of ninja are you? Genin? Jounin?"

"No idea."

"Is that your favourite line or something?"

"Nope. I don't know what kind of ninja I am. I'm just… a ninja."

"Who trained you?"

"Kakashi, mainly."

"You trained with Kakashi? Then why haven't I met you before?"

"I don't come from this village."

Kiba considered this.

"I want to fight you," he said suddenly, stopping.

"What, right now?"

"I don't know."

"I don't think I can right now. You see, there's this move I'm trying to perfect. When I perfect it, you can fight me."

"You don't have any other moves you can fight me with?"

"Heaps of them. But I'm training really hard for this one move."

"I see."

"Hey!"

A blur of orange and white sped past both of them, and Kat snarled.

"That… thing… that thing just stole my belt!"

"Which one?" said Kiba, laughing a little.

He looked at her. He didn't even know her that well, but he could definitely notice something missing.

"I'll kill that… thing!"

Kat crouched down and closed her eyes. There was a brief pause before she opened her eyes, and she sped off on all fours, chasing the thieving blur.

"Beast Mimicry!" muttered the male, mimicking her movements.

Kiba got down on all fours and followed her, and quickly caught up.

"So you know the Mimicry?" he asked her as they ran, Kat's eyes on the surprisingly fast blur.

She didn't answer. She crouched down low and leapt onto a nearby roof, Kiba closely behind her.

He raised an eyebrow - only his family knew the Mimicry move… so how could she move like this without the Mimicry…?

They leapt from rooftop to rooftop, pursuing the blur, who seemed to slowly tire.

"Stop, you thief!" called Kat angrily, and she flung herself off the rooftop and in the direction of the blur, who only just escaped and kept running.

Kiba was instantly at her side, and looked at her.

"There's an intersection in one of the streets up ahead," he told her as they ran, and Kat nodded.

"I'll go this way, you go the other way, and we'll corner it?" she asked, and Kiba nodded back.

Kiba sped off in a flash of his jacket and turned into another street.

Kat turned a corner and she smirked as she saw the blur stop at the end of the street, cornered into a dead end by the approach of Kiba.

She rushed up to the now un-blurred blur and grabbed it by the collar, snarling.

"Give me back my… Naruto?"

Naruto's face was pale white, and he held up the belt in defeat.

"It wasn't my idea!"

She went to scold him, but he disappeared into a puff of smoke, the belt falling to the floor. But it wasn't a belt - it was a piece of ribbon.

"He's used his Shadow Clone," muttered Kiba, and he turned around and took off, still on his hands and feet. Now it was Kat's turn to follow him.

"Where are you going?!" cried Kat, trailing him.

"To the ramen shop, duh," responded Kiba, and they both ran through the village, getting all sorts of weird looks.

Sure enough, Naruto sat at the ramen shop's table, happily eating a bowlful of steaming ramen.

"Hey! Pickpocket!"

Naruto turned around, and almost died. Kat's belt was hanging out of his pocket, and he smiled apologetically.

"So the Clone disappeared… well, this one will too!"

Another puff of smoke, and another ribbon.

Kat facepalmed.

"Don't worry, we'll find your belt…"

"That's what I'm worried about. If that belt gets damaged, I'll never forgive myself."

"It's special?"

"Very."

Kat crouched down low and inspected the ground. She nodded.

"The fakes smell different to the true Naruto."

Kiba sniffed the air.

"That scent smells like paper. Strange."

Kat agreed.

"But what does the real Naruto smell like? He can't smell like paper, surely."

"He smells like… like a fox."

Kat muttered something to herself bitterly.

"I'll go and find him. You wait here to see if he comes back," she said to Kiba, and before he could protest, she'd formed a seal and disappeared into thin air.

_______________________________________________________________________________

"She's alright," commented Sasuke briefly as he studied the searching female below him, Naruto anxiously at his side.

"I don't think it was a good idea to steal her belt, Sasuke," said Naruto quietly, holding the baby blue item in his hand. He'd stolen it on Sasuke's command in exchange for a bowl of ramen - he wasn't so sure that it was worth the effort now. Kat looked positively furious.

"I'll return it to her. I'll tell her I stole it. I want to see how mad she'll get at me."

"Weren't you listening, Sasuke? She knows it's me. Not only does she know what my clones smell like, but she also knows what I smell like. What if she smells me on her belt?"

"I'll tell her I gave it to you as a decoy."

Naruto wasn't so sure.

"What I'm more interested with, though, is exactly how she knows the Beast Mimicry move," continued Sasuke, looking half-interestedly at the roving girl scouring the village. "I thought only Kiba's household knew that move."

"Maybe she's related to him?" offered Naruto, and he frowned. Aggravating the new kid didn't seem like such a good idea…

"Maybe."

Sasuke looked at Naruto and took the belt, leaping down from their perch and landing in the street below. Kat had just happened to walk into that very street, and the doubtful look on her face turned to absolute fury when she saw Sasuke and what he had in his hand.

"Do you want your belt back?" asked Sasuke boredly, dangling her belt from his hand carelessly.

Kat smirked and stood up, dusting her hands.

"So Naruto gave it to you. I should have known something like this would have happened. Kakashi told me all about you, Uchiha."

"You call me Uchiha as if it were just a common nickname - why don't you call me Sasuke?"

"Because I don't recognize you as someone of any real significance."

"Maybe I should cure you of that."

"Try your hardest. I'll come out on top, I guarantee you."

Sasuke hmphed.

"You're cocky for someone who just came into town."

"You're arrogant for someone who doesn't even know me. You had no right to steal my belt. Give it back, or I swear, I'll kill you."

"You'd kill me over a belt…?"

"It was my late brother's. I would kill anyone who tried to take it from me. You'd be wise to give it back right now."

"I think I'll play a little game with you."

"I don't have time for your games. Give me the belt or I'll gouge your eyes out. We'll see how your Sharingan works then."

Sasuke looked a little surprised. How did _she _know about the Sharingan?

"I'll make you a deal. I'll give back the belt if you promise to fight me tomorrow."

"You stole my belt just so you could fight me?"

"You didn't seem keen to before, so I thought that I'd give you a little 'motivation'…"

"Why do you even want to fight me?"

"Because I don't know anything about you. I want to know your strengths and your weaknesses. And your family's Limit."

Kat laughed, almost cruelly.

"The last of the Uchihas is the same as his family, I see."

Sasuke growled.

"What do you know about my family?"

"More than I'd like to share."

Sasuke thought this over. He threw the belt back at her, and turned away.

"Tomorrow, you fight me. If you win, I'll leave you alone. If you lose, you tell me what you know about my family."


	2. Chapter 2

Kat yawned as she hit her alarm clock's sleep button, stretching. It wasn't even sunrise and she was up, as usual. She pulled the sheets back and got up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and heading over to her wardrobe. She pulled out her usual outfit and tiredly pulled it on, before walking downstairs and heading to the fridge. She pulled out an unopened carton of milk and unsealed it, chugging it all down in less than five seconds. She'd pulled out a lot in the last two minutes. Well, that was breakfast taken care of, anyway.

As quiet as a mouse, she creeped out the door and shut it behind her, not bothering to look at what she was doing. Before she could look, she tripped over something, and fell with a thump to the ground.

Kakashi smiled down at her and she groaned, slapping her forehead.

"Why aren't you in bed?" smiled Kakashi, offering his hand to his visitor and pulling her up.

"I'm going to go and train. That weird Uchiha kid said he wanted to fight me today."

Kakashi grinned.

"Have fun with that. By the way, you're not leaving without a proper breakfast. Here," he said, and he handed her a container with something that looked like meat in it.

"Thanks, 'Kashi," she smiled, and she went to leave before he took her hand and turned her around.

"Don't go to easy on him. He's not like Gaara."

Kat tried to smile but couldn't, and she walked away, a bit flattened by Kakashi's words.

_He's not like Gaara._

Kat pushed those thoughts out of her mind and kept walking through the rather vacant village, navigating through the darkness.

She eventually came to a little park and she sat down under a tree, opening the container. She picked at the meat inside and ate some of it, but was feeling a little too dejected to eat.

"You're up early, aren't you?"

Kat looked up, and rolled her eyes.

"So now you're stalking me."

Sasuke didn't reply.

"Hey, I promised to fight you today. Leave me alone, Uchiha."

"I want you to call me Sasuke, not Uchiha."

"I'll call you whatever the heck I wanna call you," she retorted, feeling suddenly hungry. She grabbed a strip of meat and ate it. She paused, before she held the container out to Sasuke.

"Hungry?"

Sasuke's eyes widened a little at her kindness.

"No thanks, I've already eaten."

Kat pulled back her arm and kept eating, refusing to look at the raven beside her.

"If you tell me what you know about my family, I'll retract my offer to fight you."

"I'm not telling you what I know. It's my business. Between me and Ita- never mind."

Sasuke looked a little shocked.

"You were about to say Itachi, weren't you? Tell me."

"Itachi? Who's Itachi?" said Kat dryly, eating another piece of meat.

Sasuke was beginning to get a little mad.

"I said, tell me."

"I have no idea of who this Itachi is. Leave me alone, Uchiha."

"If you don't tell me, I'll make you tell me. Spill it, ponytails."

Kat ignored him, completely pokerfaced.

"Hey, Sasuke. Leave the girl alone. She's trying to eat," came a tired voice, and they both looked the other way. Shikamaru walked over to the two ninjas, and he nodded at Kat.

"Hi, guy." said Kat, waving a little.

"Hi, girl. I'm Shikamaru," he said boredly, waving back. "You're the new girl, right?"

"Yeah. I'm Kat. Came yesterday. It's a nice village," she commented, flatly ignoring Sasuke.

"Glad you like it. Anyway, Sasuke, leave her alone, she's eating," repeated Shikamaru, glancing briefly to him.

Sasuke hmphed and walked away, leaving Shikamaru and Kat alone.

"He's a bit cold," remarked Kat, offering her container to Shikamaru, who took some.

"Yeah. The Uchiha kid. Was he bothering you?"

"Not really. But thanks for saving me. I'm going to see enough of him later today. I don't wanna see him before then."

"You're gonna see him later? Why?"

"He wants to fight me or something."

Shikamaru gave her a serious look.

"He's not someone to mess with. He could kill you."

"I'd love to see him try."

"Believe me, tick him off and he will try."

"He doesn't even know me. For all he knows, I might be stronger than him. Or on the other hand, I could be weaker. He doesn't know that. I don't know that. Don't you think that it's pretty presumptuous to want to fight me just because I'm new?"

"Maybe. Have you met everyone else yet?"

"Everyone else? I know him, Naruto, Sakura, Shino, Hinata, Kiba and you. Oh, and that Rock Lee guy."

"You seem to have a good memory. There are a few others you should meet. If you like, I could introduce you to them."

"That'd be cool. Thanks, Shikky."

Shikamaru blinked.

"Shikky?"

Kat blushed.

"Sorry. Habit. I give people nicknames all the time. Sorry," she mumbled, but Shikamaru shrugged.

"Shikky's alright with me."

"Cool."

Kat stood up and closed her container, smiling at Shikamaru.

"I'll see you later, then," she said warmly, and turned her back and walked away into the coming dawn.

Shikamaru shrugged. Well, that was his share of randomness for the day.

****

Sasuke paced back and forth in the length of his room, his face frowning and his mind clouded. It was all because of that girl - that stupid, arrogant new girl.

_What does she know about Itachi_, he thought angrily to himself, a slight hesitation in his eyes. _She's probably just bragging. She probably knows nothing._

There was a sudden knock on Sasuke's door, and the raven went over and opened it, his face suddenly lit up with surprise.

"Kakashi?"

"Yes. Can I come in for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure."

Sasuke was a little taken aback at the Copy Ninja's sudden appearance - since when did Kakashi visit anyone?

"What's up?" asked Sasuke, closing the door behind his sensei.

"It's about Kat. You're fighting her today, right?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because I challenged her and she accepted."

"I'm here to ask you to pull out."

Now it was Sasuke's turn to ask why.

"Because… because you will make her relive a lot of lost memories. I don't want her remembering some of the very… pivotal… moments in her life. Especially not today."

"Why not today?"

"Gaara's coming to visit the village. Just found out. I'm doing all I can to even hide his appearance. I really don't want you making her re-experience some of her more… sensitive… moments."

Sasuke looked confused.

"What does fighting me have anything to do with Gaara?"

"You'll remind her of someone who had a… confrontation… with Gaara. It would be best if you didn't fight her today. She's probably going to notice that he's around. With him in the village and you fighting her… bad things will happen."

"What sort of 'bad' things?"

"Fury and anguish are some of Kat's more powerful emotions. She'll go on a rampage, probably."

Sasuke nodded.

"Okay. I won't fight her. When's Gaara leaving?"

"In three days. Which means that I have three days of hell trying to conceal him from her, and her from him."

"He doesn't know that she's here?"

"I don't know. If he does, then that will explain why he's here. He requested entry into the village, and didn't say why."

Kakashi went to turn away and leave, but Sasuke's words stopped him,

"Kakashi… what's Kat like when she's mad?"

"She's almost impossible to calm down."

"Is she impossible to defeat?"

"I don't know. I don't advise trying to find out. See you, Sasuke."

Sasuke's mentor disappeared and left Sasuke standing there, musing to himself.

_If I fight her, and if she knows Gaara's around, it'll apparently cause chaos_, thought Sasuke walking over to his window and looking out onto the city. _I have to know why._

_________________________________________________________________________________

Gaara walked calmly through the Hidden Leaf's surrounding forestry, his eyes closed and his mind clear. Taking no notice of the two trailing behind him, he thought deeply and easily avoided a tree he was about to walk into, stepping to the side.

"Hey, Gaara. You haven't told us yet. Why are we here?" asked Temari, looking around the woodlands and looking to Kankuro, who shrugged.

The redhead made no reply. Instead, he kept walking for a while until he suddenly stopped, his siblings stopping abruptly behind him.

"We're here to see the blonde," said Gaara, his eyes still closed.

"Naruto? What do you want with him?" asked Kankuro, kicking the ground aimlessly.

"No, not Naruto. The girl."

"Ino…?"

"Think back to when I was a child."

Temari and Kankuro both thought for a moment, before looking at each other, wide-eyed.

"No, Gaara. No." said Temari softly, looking petrified.

"Why not? She's here. I've wanted to see her ever since that day. Do you remember? I want to see her."

"I think it's best that -"

"Shut up."

Gaara suddenly decided to keep walking, and they went on until they reached the village gates. The male with the gourd stopped just before he passed the village's gate, and he looked back briefly to his brethren.

"Go. See if you can find her."

Casting each other worried looks, the two ninjas departed in a gust of smoke, leaving the male on his own. The moment he stepped one foot into the village boundary, he found himself face to face with Kakashi. He did not look happy.

"What are you doing here?" asked the silver-haired man, frowning at the newcomer.

"I'm here to see the girl."

"I can't let you do that."

"I think you can."

"I don't think so. I decide who sees her or not. So, unless you have another reason to be in this village, I suggest that you call your family back and leave."

"I don't think of them as family. And I'm here for two other reasons."

"Like what?"

"To see the Hokage and to see someone else."

"Who?"

"Like I'm telling you."

"Tell me or else you won't make it another toe past this gate."

"If you don't let me in, I'll be able to call a war between our villages. That's why I'm here."

"To make war?"

"To stop one. Let me in."

"I don't believe it."

"Believe it."

"You sound like Naruto."

"I'd like to think I was thought of more highly."

Kakashi grunted, before stepping aside and allowing the Sand Villager entry.

"Touch a hair on Kat's head, and I promise you that you won't make it out of here alive."

"We'll see."

Gaara stepped past the older man and walked through the gates, smirking as he felt Kakashi's eyes drill into his back.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Naruto smiled as he peeled the lid of his cup of ramen, his grin devilish and his hands rubbing together rather evilly.

"Say goodbye, my little ramen," he hissed, picking up a pair of chopsticks beside him and holding them in both hands. There was a dramatic pause before he snapped the chopsticks in two, and he made a fake gasp, as if surprised.

"Now you shall be mine!" he cackled wickedly, and he caught a noodle between his chopsticks. He was about to send it to the dark, bottomless hole known as his stomach, when -

"Naruto!"

Naruto fell off his chair in surprise and his feet caught the table, sending everything crashing down on him. He got up angrily and marched to the door, and he opened it with a dangerous tone in his voice,

"What?!"

"Oh. Hi. Sorry…" said Kat apologetically, before stifling a giggle behind her hand.

"Two things; what the hell do you want and why are you laughing at me?!" demanded the spiky-haired blonde, and Kat broke out into a hilarious laugh.

"Okay, then, Mr. Angry Pants - for one thing, I'm here to ask if you'd help me out with a little something. Secondly - you've got noodles in your hair!"

"Huh?!" cried Naruto, and he put his hands to his now hot and wet hair. Ramen was scattered through his spikes and his hair was coated in broth. Kat could literally see the steam rise from his head in anger.

Naruto slammed the door in her face and for a minute or so, clinking and the ruffling of material was heard. A moment later, Naruto emerged, looking fresh, wearing his usual outfit and an I-am-so-not-amused look on his face.

"What am I meant to be helping you out with?" he growled, his arms folded and a frown on his whisker-lined face.

Kat leant forward and pulled back the hair near his ear, whispering something.

"Ohh. I see."

"Yes. So, do you think you could help me out?" pleaded Kat, and Naruto put his hand to his chin as if he were having serious thoughts about what she'd just asked.

"Hm… what's in it for me?" he asked slyly, raising an eyebrow.

"The feeling you get when you know you've helped a girl out?"

Naruto went to close the door on her when she stopped it with her hand, making cracks into the wood.

Naruto blinked.

"Seriously. I need your help. Here, tell you what. You help me out, I treat you to as many bowls of ramen as you want."

"I'm not doing anything for ramen anymore!" declared Naruto, and laughs could practically be heard from the village outside.

"It's got beef in it!" said Kat in a sing-song voice, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"Oh… fine. But you can't tell anyone that I'm helping you."

"Why not?"

"They'll know I did it for the beef!"

"You got yourself a deal."

Kat went to walk away, but she turned around.

"About your door - I'll have that fixed," she smiled innocently, before walking down the door and disappearing around the corner.

Naruto closed his door, and sighed. Oh, well. He never liked that door anyway.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Kakashi sat on the roof of the house, the moonlight reflecting off his silver hair and creating a dim light over his space as he mused over the day's events.

He sighed. There was no way that he could protect Kat now. That redhead, Gaara - not only was he strong, but he was determined, too. Gaara wanted to see Kat, and seeing as he always got his way, there was no stopping him now.

He'd been there when the domineering male had seen the Hokage - and he hadn't been lying, he _was_ there to stop a war. Orochimaru was on the move again. And for some reason, this was the whole cause of the war - the Sand Village wanted to be sure that Kakashi's community weren't going behind their backs and forging an alliance with the rogue.

That, according to Kakashi, was bullshit.

Apparently, the Sand wanted to have their ninja battle the Leaf's. That way, they could 'be sure that they weren't plotting against them'.

Again - bullshit.

Kakashi knew why they were here. Heck, the message was fake. Gaara only wanted to see Kat. He was sure of it. And even if there was a minuscule chance that the message was real - what sort of idiot goes around declaring war on the basis that if one villager's ninja didn't fight, it was betrayal?!

Bullshit.

"Hey!"

GLOMP.

Kakashi smiled as Kat jumped on him, pushing them to the side.

"Hey, it's midnight! You should be in bed."

"Well, you're a hypocrite if you think that you shouldn't be in bed either."

"Yeah, but I'm younger than you, and therefore I have the right to be rebellious."

"Sometimes I wish you had the right to remain silent."

Kat sighed and blew a stray strand of hair from her face.

"I'm not really sure if I like it here. I mean, it's okay and stuff, but I'm not sure I'll fit in."

"You're fitting in fine. Besides, this is your first day. It's natural to feel like that."

He sounded distant and there was a pensive tone in his voice.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"Nothing."

Kat rested her head on his and sighed, her hands on his shoulders.

"You know, Sasuke told me he didn't want to fight me today. You didn't have anything to do with it, did you?" asked Kat a little suspiciously, looking down at her sensei.

"No, not at all."

"So why'd you ask him to pull out? I know you did, don't bother lying to me."

"No reason. I thought you didn't like Sasuke, anyway, so I thought I'd save you the trouble."

"Of course I don't like him. He's an asshole."

"Hey! Don't talk like that. It's rude."

"I don't give a damn."

There was a sudden, deep cough that caught the duo's attention.

"I don't mean to interrupt your little hug-fest, but I thought you should know that Gaara's moving around. I think he's looking for her."

"Gaara?!" cried Kat, getting off her sensei and turning around.

Iruka stood silently, only just realizing that he'd confirmed Gaara's whereabouts. And the fact that Gaara was there in the first place.

Kakashi stood up, and sighed.

"Take her the Nara house. I'll catch up later," he said calmly, about to jump from the roof. Kat caught his vest and pulled him back, making him turn around.

"What does he mean, Gaara's here? Gaara can't be here! I'm not going to some guy called Nara's house!" she protested, tugging on his top.

"Nara is someone's last name. And you're going. Iruka, take her now."

Kat cried out as she was slung onto Iruka's shoulder and was transported away, her mentor heading in the opposite direction. Iruka jumped from rooftop to rooftop, gliding through the air.

"Let go of me! I'll kill you if you don't!" said Kat in objection, thumping her fists on the ninja's back. He shook his head, and looked back at her.

"You can try to kill me, but I'd prefer you didn't. Kakashi wouldn't be very happy with you."

She went to protest further but he'd suddenly arrived at a big, wooded door, on which he knocked twice.

"I'll get it."

A lady came to the door with a spatula in her hand, looking extremely surprised.

"Ms. Nara?"

"Yes? Oh, Iruka, it's you. Err… what's that thing over your shoulder?"

"Oh, this? This is Kat. Kakashi's had to go away on an emergency, so he was wondering if you'd mind having her for the night."

She shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Come straight in."

Iruka walked in carefully so he didn't hit Kat's head and slowly set her down, closing the door behind him so the snarling child couldn't escape.

"Look, lady. Ms. Nara. I can't be here. I have to go find Kakashi," said Kat worriedly, but to no avail.

Iruka shook his head.

"Don't bother trying to escape from here. They can freeze you in your tracks - literally."

"Um… go upstairs, Kat. You'll find someone familiar there. Besides, I need to talk to Iruka for a moment," said the woman, a still a little shocked.

Not one to disobey (well, not completely, anyway), Kat made her way upstairs and looked around, and she saw a bedroom door that was open. She walked in - and raised an eyebrow.

"Shikky?"

Shikamaru opened one eye to look at her as he slowly woke up, sitting up on his bed.

"Kat? What are you doing here? If my mum finds you here, we'll both be dead."

"I got sent up here _by_ your mum. It's not like I have a choice."

"Shikamaru!"

The two teens headed downstairs, Kat racing and Shikamaru ambling at a relaxed pace.

Iruka, it seems, had gone, and Shikamaru's mother stood there with a fluffy rug and a pillow in her hands. She walked up to Kat and gave them to her.

"Kat… that's your name, right? You're staying in Shikamaru's room tonight."

"Then where am I going to sleep?" said Shikamaru, blinking lazily.

"In your room."

The two ninja looked to each other, and blinked.

"Go to bed, both of you. It's late, and you have to wake up early. Actually, Kat, you go upstairs first - I need to talk to Shikamaru."

Kat said a strained thankyou and headed upstairs, spreading the blanket on the floor. There was only one bed, and she sure as hell didn't want to kick Shikky out of his own space. She sat on the mat and waited for the male to come in, who didn't look amused. Well, he never looked amused.

"What are you doing on the floor?"

"I'm waiting for you to come in so you can turn out the lights and so we can go to sleep. I'm sleepy."

She yawned and curled up on the blanket, not even bothering to cover herself with it. Closing her eyes, she hugged her knees and tried to drift off as soon as the lazy teen turned out the lights and retired to his own bed.

But as soon as she was sure that Shikamaru was asleep, she opened her eyes and silently stood up, creping toward the window. She opened it as quietly as she could and clambered out. She crept along the roofing and was about to jump to the next one when she was suddenly struck by paralysis, and she shuddered as she turned around.

Shikamaru blinked at her blankly as he held the seal his hands were making, tutting.

"Mum told me you'd try this. Didn't you listen to Iruka? I can freeze you in your tracks. Literally. So, what are you running away from? If it's me, then there's nothing to be scared of. If it's something else, you'd better tell me. I'm not letting you go until you do."

"I-It's you. You're really scary," she said in a desperately scared voice, looking petrified. "I can't be in the same room as someone as scary as you!"

She watched in horror as Shikamaru raised his arms, looking shocked as hers did too.

"Look to the ground and tell me what you see."

She looked, and frowned.

"I see… my shadow's connected to yours…"

"That's right. And anything I do, you have to do too. And you can't fight it. So, once again - what are you running away from?"

"It's none of your business…"

He shrugged and walked towards her, and she found herself walking towards him, too.

And he didn't stop walking until he was an inch away from her.

"Tell. Me."

He sighed as he watched her try to struggle against his hold; watching her muscles move but her limbs remaining frozen in the air.

"You know, you're going to be staying like this for a long time unless you tell me."

"Your chakra will burn out," said Kat, starting to feel a little frightened.

"Shadow Control doesn't take up a lot of chakra. Besides, I need to know what you're scared of. Tell me," he said, covering his mouth as he yawned and, in turn, covering her mouth too.

" I'll tell Kakashi what you're doing!" she threatened, trying to squirm away.

" You'll tell me what?"


End file.
